What happen to the air?
When you breathe in air, millions of alveoli in your lungs are filled with air
Tiny blood vessels around the alveoli take in the oxygen from the air.
It is then carried all over your body

Also the alveoli take back carbon dioxide from the blood vessel. This waste gas leaves your body when you breathe out.

Project
To draw up lungs when breathing in and out – note the change of size.

Look at the complexity of our body system. We breathe without even realising that we are doing it. And yet the complexity of the whole system is Subhanallah amazing.

A system as complicated as this can only be created by a Seprior Being. Who must be the greatest planner and the Most perfect fashioner.

A system like this can never occur by chance. It must be created by the Perfect creator.

Allah azawajjal is the perfect creator. He is the best of planner. He is Al Khobir who is aware of everything that is going on, when we don’t even know what is going on in our own body except by painstakingly studying it.

I heard Allah’s Apostle saying, “The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended. So whoever emigrated for worldly benefits or for a woman to marry, his emigration was for what he emigrated for.”

Also reported in Sahih Muslim

This is a very famous hadith and should be memorised by all of us. It is widely referred as إِنَّمَا الْأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَات. All actions are judged by intention.

Word
الْأَعْمَالُ
نيات
بِ

This hadith is considered one of the greatest hadiths in Islam.

The hadith was said by the Prophet s.a.w. at the time concerning a man who wanted to marry a woman named Umm Qais but she refused to marry him unless he would migrate from Makkah to Madinah. Therefore he migrated in order to marry her. He was later called “the migrant of Umm Qais”.

And because the intention is not for Islam, for the sake of Allah, he will only be rewarded with worldly thing. But if he made the intention for Allah, his reward will be much much greater bi iznillah.

What is niyyah?

Niyyah has two categories.

What you mostly know niyyah is the intention that you utter before doing a specific ibadah like prayer, umrah and fasting.

What most importantly is, niyyah is what you want out of something you do. It is what is in your inner heart. Your reason of doing something and your willingness.

And this is what we want to concentrate on today’s lesson.

Reflect back the hadith. What are the essence of niyyah is the hadith talking about?

It is to make the intention for Allah’s sake.

Solely for Allah.

Let us think of some good deeds that we can do.

“Big Deeds”

1. Donation

2. Praying in the mosque

3. reading the Quran

4. Spreading good word

5. helping people

Let us reflect back to the reason we are doing these. Did we do these deeds because we want

1. To appear good in front of others

2. To seek praises

3. To avoid being blame by others (your mum for instance)

4. To seek wealth

5. To seek love by others

6. To seek help from others.

Then stop. Go a few steps behind and reflect back the hadith. Ask yourself what are we doing these good deeds for. Focus that we are doing these for Allah. To seek Allah’s pleasure. Ask Allah to accept our deeds.

Sometimes it may be hard for we may have the above desire. Just remember Allah’s reward is greater than what we can gain here. Let’s train ourselves to focus on the intention for Allah.

So make your intention for Allah.

Daily Activities

Now let us think of our daily activities. And how we can fulfill this hadith and reap Allah’s rewards and so that He may be please with us.

List down our routine daily activity from waking up to sleep.

1. Wake up

2. Drink water

3. Brush teeth

4. Solat

5. Sleep back (glare)

6. Wake up again

7. Shower

8. Breakfast

9. Go to school

10. In school

11. Go home

12. Solat Dzuhur

13. Lunch

14. Solat Asr

15. Do homework

16. Go for Quran lessons/ karate

17. Play

16. Shower

17. Sleep

Try to train ourselves from waking up to sleep on the different activities to make multiple niyahs. This not only we can be sure that our daily activity is done for the sake of Allah, but we can also gain rewards from the different niyahs.

Now let us ponder on this ayah from Ad Dhariyat 51:56

وَمَا خَلَقۡتُ ٱلۡجِنَّ وَٱلۡإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعۡبُدُونِ

I created the jinn and humankind only that they might worship Me.

Allah has stated that the purpose He created the jinns and all of us human are solely to worship him. And then we look at our daily activities. Most of them are filled with some mundane and necessary activities. But mostly are not an act of worshiping per se. Then how do we fulfill the purpose of us being created?

Insya Allah by making the appropriate niyyah for each of our action, we can turn mundane activities into activities with rewardable deeds.

Exercise

1. Waking up.

I wake up so that my day will be filled with worshipping Allah.

I wake up to do many good deeds to people

I wake up in the morning to make solah.

2. Going to school

I am going to school for the sake of Allah.

I want to learn so that Allah will be please with me.

I want to learn so that I can be a better Muslim

I want to go out with good character so may it be a form of daawah for me.

I want to meet my friends and say salam so I get the rewards for saying it.

3. Brushing teeth

I am doing this to please Allah for Allah loves cleanliness

I am following the sunnah (especially before prayers and arriving at home)

Being clean and look presentable will help me do daawah

To give people a good impression on Islam

4.Visiting relatives and friends

I want to do this for the sake of Allah

I want to rekindle relationship

I want to say salam and get rewards for it

I want to shake their hands and may my sins fall of due to the act.

Brainstorm for more. I’ll probably update this post for more examples of niyyah for we are still doing this exercise. One action a day. 🙂

Having said that, by doing multiple niyahs we can increase more reward on our daily activity, it does not mean that these are enough. We must still rush doing more ibadah to Allah, Insya Allah.

Components of niyyah.

So now we are trying to make multiple niyahs for our mundane activities. Now it is important to know the other componnents of niyyah.

1. It has to be a halal action.

We cannot be doing something haram like gambling and make niyah so that we can donate half the money to the poor. Or drinking halal so that we can make our body strong so that we can worship Allah.

2. It has to have ikhlas.

Allahhu Alim. Allahhu samee’. Really we cannot lie to Allah for He knows what is truly in your heart. Sometimes to be sincere requires striving. There are things that we can control like telling people about it in the sense of bragging. Try to be quiet when making a donation. When we feel that we are not having full sincerity, try to focus and strive to be. Insya Allah, Allah knows our jihad within ourselves.

I testify that there is No God but Allah, alone without partners, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

This is based on these two hadith from Sahih Muslim

The Book of Purification (Kitab Al-Taharah)
Muslim :: Book 2 : Hadith 451

‘Uqba b. ‘Amir reported: We were entrusted with the task of tending the camels. On my turn when I came back in the evening after grazing them in the pastures, I found Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) stand and address the people. I heard these words of his: If any Muslim performs ablution well, then stands and prays two rak’ahs setting about them with his heart as well as his face, Paradise would be guaranteed to him. I said: What a fine thing is this! And a narrator who was before me said: The first was better than even this. When I cast a glance, I saw that it was ‘Umair who said: I see that you have just come and observed: If anyone amongst you performs the ablution, and then completes the ablution well and then says: I testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the servant of Allah and His Messenger, the eight gates of Paradise would be opened for him and he may enter by whichever of them he wishes.

The Book of Purification (Kitab Al-Taharah)
Muslim :: Book 2 : Hadith 452

Uqba b. ‘Amir al-Juhani reported: Verily the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said and then narrated (the hadith) like one (mentioned above) except (this) that he said: He who performed ablution and said: I testify that there is no god but Allah, the One, there is no associate with Him and I testify that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger.

From these two hadith, we learn that
1. Say the shahadah after performing the wudhu
2. Perform 2 rakaah sunnah prayer after wudhu’
3. The reward is paradise.
4. And specifically for those who recite the syahadah, the reward is he can enter whichever eight gates of Paradise He wishes. May we be among these people.

Also on top of the shahadah there is a dua that we can recite. This dua is based on the Saheeh Tirmidhi

Narrated to the children the significance of Cave Hira’.
Questions asked
1. At what age did Prophet Muhammad become a prophet?
2. How would the Quraysh describe Prophet Muhammad before he became a prophet?

Important points:
Rasulullah s.a.w. even before he became a prophet always stay away from sinful things. He never worship the idols.
6 months before prophethood, Prophet Muhammad s.a.w always have dreams which came true. This drove him to solitude and chose Hira’s cave.
He would stay for many days and nights thinking about Allah and reflecting.
His wife Khadijah r.a. was supportive of him.

Narrate to them the story of when Jibraeel came and asked him to read three times.
And finally the first revelation – the first five verses of Suratul Alaq.

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
ٱقۡرَأۡ بِٱسۡمِ رَبِّكَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ (﻿١﻿) خَلَقَ ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنَ مِنۡ عَلَقٍ (﻿٢﻿) ٱقۡرَأۡ وَرَبُّكَ ٱلۡأَكۡرَمُ (﻿٣﻿) ٱلَّذِى عَلَّمَ بِٱلۡقَلَمِ (﻿٤﻿) عَلَّمَ ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنَ مَا لَمۡ يَعۡلَمۡ (﻿٥﻿)
Read! In the Name of your Lord, Who has created (all that exists), (1) He has created man from a clot (a piece of thick coagulated blood) (2) Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous, (3) Who has taught (the writing) by the pen. (4) He has taught man that which he knew not. (5)

Have the kids to recite this

– Tell the story of how Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. ran down in fright from the cave to his home where his wife, Khadijah r.a. exclaiming cover me! cover me!
– One of the most important lessons to be learnt from the event when Prophet Muhammad s.a.w told his story to Khadijah r.a. is the response of Khadijah r.a. to the Prophet showing her support to her husband.

Never! By Allah, Allah will never disgrace you. You keep good relations with your Kith and kin, help the poor and the destitute, serve your guests generously and assist the deserving calamity-afflicted ones

Khadijah r.a. knew Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. is a good man who treat people well and someone who can be trusted. It shows also that Khadijah r.a. is a good wife who is supportive of her husband knowing that her husband is a good man.

Continue the story by telling about Khadijah r.a. cousin, Waraqah bin Naufal. And what he had to say
Important lesson on what he has to say is, Waraqah told Prophet Muhammad that
1. This is the same angel who came to Prophet Musa a.s.
2. The Quraysh will drive Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. out. because of the true message that Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. will deliver.

Revelation
Bukhari :: Book 1 :: Volume 1 :: Hadith 3

Narrated ‘Aisha:

(the mother of the faithful believers) The commencement of the Divine Inspiration to Allah’s Apostle was in the form of good dreams which came true like bright day light, and then the love of seclusion was bestowed upon him. He used to go in seclusion in the cave of Hira where he used to worship (Allah alone) continuously for many days before his desire to see his family. He used to take with him the journey food for the stay and then come back to (his wife) Khadija to take his food like-wise again till suddenly the Truth descended upon him while he was in the cave of Hira. The angel came to him and asked him to read. The Prophet replied, “I do not know how to read.

The Prophet added, “The angel caught me (forcefully) and pressed me so hard that I could not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read and I replied, ‘I do not know how to read.’ Thereupon he caught me again and pressed me a second time till I could not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read but again I replied, ‘I do not know how to read (or what shall I read)?’ Thereupon he caught me for the third time and pressed me, and then released me and said, ‘Read in the name of your Lord, who has created (all that exists) has created man from a clot. Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous.” (96.1, 96.2, 96.3) Then Allah’s Apostle returned with the Inspiration and with his heart beating severely. Then he went to Khadija bint Khuwailid and said, “Cover me! Cover me!” They covered him till his fear was over and after that he told her everything that had happened and said, “I fear that something may happen to me.” Khadija replied, “Never! By Allah, Allah will never disgrace you. You keep good relations with your Kith and kin, help the poor and the destitute, serve your guests generously and assist the deserving calamity-afflicted ones.”

Khadija then accompanied him to her cousin Waraqa bin Naufal bin Asad bin ‘Abdul ‘Uzza, who, during the PreIslamic Period became a Christian and used to write the writing with Hebrew letters. He would write from the Gospel in Hebrew as much as Allah wished him to write. He was an old man and had lost his eyesight. Khadija said to Waraqa, “Listen to the story of your nephew, O my cousin!” Waraqa asked, “O my nephew! What have you seen?” Allah’s Apostle described whatever he had seen. Waraqa said, “This is the same one who keeps the secrets (angel Gabriel) whom Allah had sent to Moses. I wish I were young and could live up to the time when your people would turn you out.” Allah’s Apostle asked, “Will they drive me out?” Waraqa replied in the affirmative and said, “Anyone (man) who came with something similar to what you have brought was treated with hostility; and if I should remain alive till the day when you will be turned out then I would support you strongly.” But after a few days Waraqa died and the Divine Inspiration was also paused for a while.

Narrated Jabir bin ‘Abdullah Al-Ansari while talking about the period of pause in revelation reporting the speech of the Prophet “While I was walking, all of a sudden I heard a voice from the sky. I looked up and saw the same angel who had visited me at the cave of Hira’ sitting on a chair between the sky and the earth. I got afraid of him and came back home and said, ‘Wrap me (in blankets).’ And then Allah revealed the following Holy Verses (of Quran):

‘O you (i.e. Muhammad)! wrapped up in garments!’ Arise and warn (the people against Allah’s Punishment),… up to ‘and desert the idols.’ (74.1-5) After this the revelation started coming strongly, frequently and regularly.”

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Questions
1. What was the name of the angel who came to Prophet Muhammad s.a.w.?
2. What is the name of the cave he used to go to?
3. Why is Cave Hira’ important in Muslim’s history?
It does not mean we should go and climb and make special prayer there om purpose.
4. Why would Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. go to the cave?
5. What is the first surah revealed to Prophet Muhammad s.a.w.?